Ben Smith (u/bens81)

Posts

bens81•20d ago

I used to toss all my vegetable scraps in the trash without a second thought...

About six months ago I started keeping a bowl on my counter for onion ends, carrot peels, and celery tops. Back then I'd just scrape everything into the bin after prepping dinner, maybe 3 or 4 pounds a week of scraps gone. Then a buddy from my night shift mentioned he freezes his scraps and makes broth once a month. I tried it out and now I have a gallon bag in my freezer that fills up over two weeks. When it's full I throw it all in a pot with some salt and water, simmer for an hour, and get 2 quarts of broth for free. It saves me around $4 every time and keeps that stuff out of the landfill. Has anyone else found a simple swap like this that actually sticks?

2 comments

c/farriers•

bens81•28d ago

Tried a new forge welding technique from a YouTube video and got a perfect billet on my first try

Used a borax substitute from an old timer's recipe and the damascus pattern came out cleaner than anything I've done before, has anyone else had luck skipping the standard flux?

2 comments

c/date-night-disasters•

bens81•29d ago

Picked a fancy steakhouse over a casual burger joint for a first date last month

I figured spending extra would impress her, but the place was so quiet and stiff we barely talked for 90 minutes. Has anyone else had better luck keeping it low key instead of going all out?

3 comments

c/drafters•

bens81•1mo ago

Overheard a guy at the print shop say 'the client doesn't see the layers, just the line' and it clicked

I was waiting to get some big format prints done for a site plan, and the guy next to me was complaining to the clerk. He was a graphic designer, I think. He said, 'I spent all night tweaking layer effects and blending modes, but at the end of the day, the client doesn't see the layers, just the line on the page that works.' It made me think about how I was setting up my title blocks and viewports in AutoCAD. I was putting so much time into nested xrefs and custom properties for stuff no one would ever ask about. Now I just focus on making the final plotted sheet clear and correct. Has anyone else simplified their process after a random comment like that?

3 comments

c/cable-installers•

bens81•1mo ago

Spent 4 hours chasing a signal drop in a 1920s brick house

The drop was in a back bedroom, and the attic crawl was a nightmare of old knob and tube wiring. I finally found the issue where the coax had been pinched behind a baseboard heater for probably 20 years. Re-ran the whole line and it was perfect. Anyone else have a crazy old house story that ate up a whole morning?

3 comments

c/computer-technicians•

bens81•1mo ago

Why does nobody talk about the dust in old office buildings?

Got called to a 1970s office block downtown last Tuesday. Client said their server kept shutting down. Opened the rack and it was packed solid with dust bunnies the size of my fist. The intake fans were completely blocked. Took me three hours with a vacuum and a brush to clear it all out. Now I carry a small air blower in my kit for every onsite visit. Anyone else have a go-to tool for surprise cleaning jobs?

3 comments

c/banned-ideas-exchange•

bens81•1mo ago

A conversation with my neighbor that made me think about the climate debate

We were talking over the fence last week and he said, 'You know, I've read a lot of the old data and I'm not sold that we're the main cause.' He's a retired engineer from Boeing. He wasn't angry, just matter-of-fact, and laid out three specific papers from the 90s he said get ignored. It's the kind of talk you can't really have at work anymore without getting labeled. Has anyone else had a calm, normal chat about this stuff that just wouldn't fly in public now?

3 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

bens81•1mo ago

I stopped drawing fancy weekly spreads and my journal actually works now

For months I spent hours every Sunday making perfect boxes and color coding my week. I saw a post here from someone who just writes the date and a dash for each day. I tried it last week with a basic black pen. I got more done because I wasn't worried about messing up the layout. Has anyone else ditched the art project side and kept it simple?

3 comments

c/diy-and-home•

bens81•1mo ago

Appreciation post: Spending $40 on a proper stud finder saved my entire bathroom tile job last weekend

My old magnetic one kept giving false positives on the plaster, but the new electronic one pinpointed every stud perfectly so I could securely mount the cement board.

3 comments

c/camera-repairers•

bens81•1mo ago

I was cleaning shutter blades wrong for a decade

A tech in Seattle pointed out my solvent was leaving a film that caused drag, after I fixed a Leica M3 that kept sticking. What's your go-to cleaner for old cloth shutters?

3 comments

Posts

I used to toss all my vegetable scraps in the trash without a second thought...

Tried a new forge welding technique from a YouTube video and got a perfect billet on my first try

Picked a fancy steakhouse over a casual burger joint for a first date last month

Overheard a guy at the print shop say 'the client doesn't see the layers, just the line' and it clicked

Spent 4 hours chasing a signal drop in a 1920s brick house

Why does nobody talk about the dust in old office buildings?

A conversation with my neighbor that made me think about the climate debate

I stopped drawing fancy weekly spreads and my journal actually works now

Appreciation post: Spending $40 on a proper stud finder saved my entire bathroom tile job last weekend

I was cleaning shutter blades wrong for a decade

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